Goran Dragic on the Suns:

[RunDogGun]

To be fair, Bledsoe did sound like he was complaining when he said,"they're using my RFA status against me." While I think it sounded more like he was passing on something his agent said to him, it still sounded like a complaint. But since then, he hasn't said anything negative, nor did he complain about the three talented point guards we had. He didn't even complain, that I know of, when we drafted a point, and signed IT, while we were still waiting out his contract negotiations.

[bwgood77]

I assume you're comparing Dragic signing with us in 2012 compared to Bledsoe's negotiations last year but don't see how those situations can be compared. The players were in totally different circumstances. And to his credit, despite it being a long drawn out process, Bledsoe kept his mouth shut and didn't say one ill word or attempt to force the issue, it was a long business transaction and he took it as such. Dragic meanwhile came over from Houston because they were not interesting in keeping him.

The more similar situation would be when Dragic came up for an extension (this year). He proceeded to be a cancer, take everything personally, take a giant dump in the press, then give the Suns a list of 3 terrible teams... but from rich cities, that he wanted to play for.

Those were different too. Bledsoe was injured half the season and still got to start for the first time every game he was healthy and got major minutes.

Dragic this year, after being 3rd team NBA was utilized differently in a contract year and playing out of position. Bledsoe was probably grateful for his role due to being utilized in the best way and being given a chance to start for the first time. Dragic was in a contract year, playing with two point guards, being told IT would be traded, and then increasingly got frustrated.

Most of the season he didn't say much of anything even though you could tell he wasn't happy. Sometimes at work you just eventually get in an environment you don't enjoy, and it's probably not the best place for you. If management is telling you they are going to make changes and a deadline for this is coming up, and you fear it is not going to happen, you may get anxious, and decide it's best for you to move on. Of course I wouldn't go to the press and say "This company lied to me" so that was obviously a mistake. I don't think he really intentionally tried to make a dick move though, I just think he was asked a question and put his foot in his mouth but being honest about how he felt.

I just don't really feel any ill will towards him, especially since the front office didn't exactly do a good job last summer in improving the team or chemistry. I certainly don't feel the blatant ill will and vast disgust that some here seem too, especially if some of them didn't want to keep him in the first place. It's honestly strange to me that so many people here seem so hurt by him or pissed at him. But I'm also not a guy to hold grudges and waste a lot of negative energy on a situation or person.

[DirtyDez]

In the end, it worked out well for everyone. We got two firsts for an expiring (very rare for non star players) and the fact he let it known he wanted out actually was a good thing since we didn't lose him for nothing. He could have said he would keep his options open and then just left, and we'd be really screwed like when McDyess left.

Lets hope McD can put together a team THIS summer that actually has chemistry instead of just signing whatever available player is left and promising him playing time, regardless of how it impacts team chemistry.

Yeah it didn't work out too bad considering our leverage with Goran wasn't great. I just wished we stopped after the Miami deal. Could've gone after a sharp shooter like Green or Matthews this summer and had more pick ammo to trade up for a big.

[bwgood77]

In the end, it worked out well for everyone. We got two firsts for an expiring (very rare for non star players) and the fact he let it known he wanted out actually was a good thing since we didn't lose him for nothing. He could have said he would keep his options open and then just left, and we'd be really screwed like when McDyess left.

Lets hope McD can put together a team THIS summer that actually has chemistry instead of just signing whatever available player is left and promising him playing time, regardless of how it impacts team chemistry.

Yeah it didn't work out too bad considering our leverage with Goran wasn't great. I just wished we stopped after the Miami deal. Could've gone after a sharp shooter like Green or Matthews this summer and had more pick ammo to trade up for a big.

Yeah,l the pick and IT would have been nice trade values and a powerful punch off the bench or in doses with Bledsoe. Or obviously keeping the pick would give us a second lottery pick next year unless we make the playoffs, but still probably a pick in the top 10 and another in the top 20.

Then sign the best SG you can in FA.

[aIvin adams]

The Dragic trade was awesome, considering the situation the Suns FO was in (whether the FO put themselves into that mess to begin with I dunno)

The Knight trade seems like a desperation mistake unless McD thinks Knight will be a lot better than I expect he will be. And better than most other NBA fans think he will be. Which he might. McD has proven himself to be a good talent evaluator in the past.

I was relatively high on Knight's potential compared to my friends and I also thought that trading for restricted FAs before this weird pre-cap-jump offseason was an efficient move. But I still don't like the trade :/

I hope I'm wrong. That first game w Bledsoe and Knight against the Celicts tho... ugh. We went from having too many PGs to not being able to get the ball across the time line. Granted that Boston had great ball pressure personnel and knight/Bledsoe just got on the court together.. But it was still alarming.

IF the Lakers reload and their pick is not top 10 next year, and IF Knight resigns instead of taking a QO, and IF Knight becomes a consistent all star calibre scoring guard, then it was a good trade. That's a lot of "if"s for fans who got spoiled by a Dudley/2nd rounder for Bledsoe package.

[SUN]

Dragic can go **** himself. This is the nail in the coffin for me. Bit of a punk.

[Frank Lee]

No more of a punk than McDuh is. I was not impressed with either's public commentary. Trouble is, Dragic spoke the truth and blacked our eye. McDuh backpedaled into the corner with weak jabs.... then swung wildly with Knight as the bell approached.

You can beat the dead horse all you want, but one clear take on this is McDuh sees players as meat on hooks. And that wont bode well long term, even with the Babbler's feathery tongue up everyone's arse.

[lilfishi22]

No more of a punk than McDuh is. I was not impressed with either's public commentary. Trouble is, Dragic spoke the truth and blacked our eye. McDuh backpedaled into the corner with weak jabs.... then swung wildly with Knight as the bell approached.

You can beat the dead horse all you want, but one clear take on this is McDuh sees players as meat on hooks. And that wont bode well long term, even with the Babbler's feathery tongue up everyone's arse.

Truth

I've seen posters call him a cancer, a punk, caring only about the $$$, stats and the limelight but that is so far from the truth, it's infuriating . Dragic should take some blame for forcing McD's hand but that's as far as the blame goes. The guy played hard every game, he guarded 3's when he's a short wiry 2 at best, he played the role Hornacek set for him and he was a complete professional throughout the season until the trade deadline when seemingly his concerns from day 1 have gone unheard. How do you blame a player for wanting to be the best player he can be to help the team?

Wake up guys, McD screwed up. He can say all the crap he wants when Goran's gone but it's all just damage control. This is McD's mistake and you can blame that on his shortsightedness or his inexperience. He treated Dragic like he was an asset through and through like he does with all players, only he didn't expect his best player to speak up. It might turn out to be a great move in the long run but let's not play this revisionist history game and paint Dragic as the someone he was not.

[RunDogGun]

We can't say Goran spoke the truth, because we weren't in those rooms.

I am having trouble seeing how McD thought of Goran as just an asset. If he did, he would have traded him much earlier, when his value was high.

At this point, Goran shouldn't take questions about the Suns, that leads him to say negative things. He should just say that he is happy he got to Miami, and looks forward to his time there. If he wants to thank Sarver for getting him to Miami, that goodwill would go over well with future contracts for Goran.

I'm just so glad this scab keeps getting pulled off. (Insert appropriate emoticon here)

[gaspar]

Truth

I've seen posters call him a cancer, a punk, caring only about the $$$, stats and the limelight but that is so far from the truth, it's infuriating

Rubbish.

He didn't want to play in Phoenix or Milwaukee but wanted to get traded to LA, NY or Miami. Do you know why? Because these are big market teams with crappy point guards where Goran's star could shine brighter. He definitely didn't want to go there because he's a team player who cares about winning.

Do you know what's far from the truth?

This:

The guy played hard every game

and this:

he was a complete professional throughout the season

and this:

How do you blame a player for wanting to be the best player he can be to help the team?

and this:

McD screwed up.

and this:

He treated Dragic like he was an asset through and through

[bwgood77]

We can't say Goran spoke the truth, because we weren't in those rooms.

I am having trouble seeing how McD thought of Goran as just an asset. If he did, he would have traded him much earlier, when his value was high.

At this point, Goran shouldn't take questions about the Suns, that leads him to say negative things. He should just say that he is happy he got to Miami, and looks forward to his time there. If he wants to thank Sarver for getting him to Miami, that goodwill would go over well with future contracts for Goran.

I'm just so glad this scab keeps getting pulled off. (Insert appropriate emoticon here)

Personally I think he probably did want to trade him earlier but I think Sarver didn't want it to happen so he didn't allow it. This is obviously just a hunch. But when he finally got the request from Dragic he knew it had to happen. So it pretty much worked out well. Dragic didn't have to say what he said, but the end result was probably what McD wanted all along, and several posters here.

[bwgood77]

Truth

I've seen posters call him a cancer, a punk, caring only about the $$$, stats and the limelight but that is so far from the truth, it's infuriating

Rubbish.

He didn't want to play in Phoenix or Milwaukee but wanted to get traded to LA, NY or Miami. Do you know why? Because these are big market teams with crappy point guards where Goran's star could shine brighter. He definitely didn't want to go there because he's a team player who cares about winning.

Do you know what's far from the truth?

This:

The guy played hard every game

and this:

he was a complete professional throughout the season

and this:

How do you blame a player for wanting to be the best player he can be to help the team?

and this:

McD screwed up.

and this:

He treated Dragic like he was an asset through and through

You were never much of a Dragic fan to begin with, so it can be easy to only accept your perception of certain things to reinforce those views. About the "How do you blame a player for wanting to be the best player he can be to help the team?" which you say is far from the truth. What lilfishi likely meant was that he wanted to be in the role that suited his skills best, and Phx wasn't doing that. So it was probably better to move on.

I think pretty much everyone here agrees that it was time to move on, especially if he was going to cost anywhere close to $20 million a year. Knight makes much more sense. So it worked out for the best...the road to get there wasn't pretty, but had McD not screwed up (I know you disagree here but my viewpoint is that he did), then perhaps we are forced to overpay Dragic which in the long run, would have been a mistake. So the end result worked out for everyone.

Dragic didn't need to say some of the things he did, nor did McD...it was all a bit childish, but they were both obviously pissed and sometimes when you are angry you say things you later regret.

[lilfishi22]

Rubbish.

He didn't want to play in Phoenix or Milwaukee but wanted to get traded to LA, NY or Miami. Do you know why? Because these are big market teams with crappy point guards where Goran's star could shine brighter. He definitely didn't want to go there because he's a team player who cares about winning.

I'm sorry he didn't choose Phoenix after management clearly mismanaged expectations and after repeatedly having discussions about the team. Goran has never spoken up in his 7 year career until our front office screwed him. He was assured he wouldn't have to change his role and it did dramatically. He was told IT would be traded and that never happened. All of this happened before there was ever ANY mention of potential trade destinations.

Do you know what's far from the truth?

This:

The guy played hard every game

and this:

he was a complete professional throughout the season

and this:

How do you blame a player for wanting to be the best player he can be to help the team?

and this:

McD screwed up.

and this:

He treated Dragic like he was an asset through and through

For an all-NBA player who led the Suns to a 48 win season to be relegated to spot up shooter status and casual playmaker, he was a complete professional. McD didn't screw up? So his whole plan from Day 1 was to drive the best Sun's player off the team?

C'mon graspar tell me where I'm wrong. I'm open for this discussion

[phrazbit]

Well, first off, Dragic wasn't their best player. Separate from Frye, Dragic was average at best (even when still given the reigns at point).

And all of the "Dragic got screwed", "Dragic was lied to", "its all about his role", "he just wants to run the offense" stuff goes totally out the window when you factor in the teams he wanted to play for. When he decided he wanted out he did not give two craps about what role he'd get on his new team or if that team was even remotely competitive. His only concern was for bright lights and money. Period. The teams he demanded to play for all suck out loud and have players that will have FAR more of a negative impact on Goran's touches than anyone on the Suns roster. He wasn't the "true" PG for Miami, he had to watch Chalmers and Wade run the offense most of the time. He wouldn't have ran the offense for the Lakers or Knicks either with Kobe and Carmelo. So Dragic is either a complete idiot who has no clue what situations those teams were in OR his only concern with his NBA future was to play for big money under bright lights.

You cannot rationalize Goran's supposed reasoning with the teams he then wanted to play for. Both parties may be at fault for how things went down but there is only one that is totally full of **** and its Goran.

[lilfishi22]

I see it like this, the three teams that were listed, NY, LA and Miami, all needed a legit PG. NY and LA ahve a massive hole in the PG position and in Miami he would be playing next to Wade which would be similar to playing next to Bledsoe. To me, it's clear he wants to have a bigger role and that's the kind of attitude you want from your all-NBA player. Dragic found a role that worked great for him and for the team but our front office decided otherwise so he wanted out. Once he's decided to leave, I don't believe he expected to play the same role he did with the 48-win Suns.

[phrazbit]

I see it like this, the three teams that were listed, NY, LA and Miami, all needed a legit PG. NY and LA ahve a massive hole in the PG position and in Miami he would be playing next to Wade which would be similar to playing next to Bledsoe. To me, it's clear he wants to have a bigger role and that's the kind of attitude you want from your all-NBA player. Dragic found a role that worked great for him and for the team but our front office decided otherwise so he wanted out. Once he's decided to leave, I don't believe he expected to play the same role he did with the 48-win Suns.

Except that the Knicks play the triangle and a PG doesn't do anything in that and they have Carmelo, Kobe absolutely dominates the ball and wouldn't even let Nash run the point and Wade is cut from the same cloth.

Dragic's destination choices had absolutely nothing to do with his role or the quality of the team, instead they were as shallow as possible. Seeking money and lights in places with worse teams and in roles that will or would likely have been even more limited than what he saw here.

So again, he is either completely ignorant to the status of those teams (which I find impossible to believe) or he was basically full of **** and his motivations were shallow and sad.

[bwgood77]

I see it like this, the three teams that were listed, NY, LA and Miami, all needed a legit PG. NY and LA ahve a massive hole in the PG position and in Miami he would be playing next to Wade which would be similar to playing next to Bledsoe. To me, it's clear he wants to have a bigger role and that's the kind of attitude you want from your all-NBA player. Dragic found a role that worked great for him and for the team but our front office decided otherwise so he wanted out. Once he's decided to leave, I don't believe he expected to play the same role he did with the 48-win Suns.

Except that the Knicks play the triangle and a PG doesn't do anything in that and they have Carmelo, Kobe absolutely dominates the ball and wouldn't even let Nash run the point and Wade is cut from the same cloth.

Dragic's destination choices had absolutely nothing to do with his role or the quality of the team, instead they were as shallow as possible. Seeking money and lights in places with worse teams and in roles that will or would likely have been even more limited than what he saw here.

So again, he is either completely ignorant to the status of those teams (which I find impossible to believe) or he was basically full of **** and his motivations were shallow and sad.

He's probably ignorant about what his role would be like in the triangle, but he'd still likely be the only pg. He definitely would be the primary guy in the other two places. Wade sits a lot anyway.

I don't really think Dragic totally cares that much about the bright lights and big city as much as being the primary pg on the team. Wade is used to deferring after playing with LeBron so that seemed to work well together since Dragic posted the second highest PER of his career there.

[lilfishi22]

Except that the Knicks play the triangle and a PG doesn't do anything in that and they have Carmelo, Kobe absolutely dominates the ball and wouldn't even let Nash run the point and Wade is cut from the same cloth.

Dragic's destination choices had absolutely nothing to do with his role or the quality of the team, instead they were as shallow as possible. Seeking money and lights in places with worse teams and in roles that will or would likely have been even more limited than what he saw here.

So again, he is either completely ignorant to the status of those teams (which I find impossible to believe) or he was basically full of **** and his motivations were shallow and sad.

He's probably ignorant about what his role would be like in the triangle, but he'd still likely be the only pg. He definitely would be the primary guy in the other two places. Wade sits a lot anyway.

I don't really think Dragic totally cares that much about the bright lights and big city as much as being the primary pg on the team. Wade is used to deferring after playing with LeBron so that seemed to work well together since Dragic posted the second highest PER of his career there.

It's 100% about his role. Even playing next to Wade he still averaged close to 35mpg while actually playing the PG position. He doesn't want to be relegated to a spot shooter which is fair when he's clearly a guy who's in his prime and coming off an amazing season.

[phrazbit]

There were other teams in MUCH better shape that needed PGs, Goran limited the options to 3 teams that are all bad, that have players that will vastly overshadow him in the offense (Miami included, where he played a VERY similar role to here, mostly having to watch Chalmers and Wade handle the ball). There are several teams that needed PGs, two of whom showed serious interest (Houston and Milwaukee) and both those teams were much much better than the ones he tried to force his way too. But... he didn't want to play there... because his role was not the main issue.

If Bledsoe had told the Suns to ship him to the Knicks, Lakers or Heat then people here would have murdered him for being all about the glamor, and rightfully so. But St. Dragic can do it, while all those teams are dung heaps, while dragging the team's reputation through the dirt and he still comes off spotless in the eyes of many.

Seriously... the Knicks, Lakers and Heat were the only teams he was willing to go to. Claiming this was about his "role" is an absolutely laughable assertion.

[sunstrooper]

Dragic's wife is a model...think that explains his desired destinations well enough. It was the same/similar situation with the "Melo-drama" some years back (LaLa or whatever her name was wanted the exposure). And anyone trying to tell me that a wife cannot influence such a big decision is not married, that's for sure.
If you think about it, Miami was the perfect situation on paper - Dragic was to be the PG for Wade, Deng and Bosh, and on the other hand, what better place for a model...